Unit 1 Early River Civilization AP World History – Flashcards

Some hunters & gatherers were advanced, but were never able to develop complex societies because they had to migrate to find food Neolithic & Paleolithic allowed them to First civilization began in the river valleys (mesopotamia)

The period of the Stone Age associated with the evolution of humans. It predates the Neolithic period. nomads used simple stone tools and relied on hunting and gathering for food.

The Neolithic Revolution is a turning point in history. Before the Neolithic Revolution (during the Paleolithic Age), nomads used simple stone tools and relied on hunting and gathering for food. During the Neolithic Age, peoples' diet and shelter dramatically changed. The domestication of animals and the planting* of crops (such as wheat and barley) led to the development of civilizations**. *planting = cultivation **civilizations = permanent homes and villages = settled communities

Farming thrived here 8,000 years ago; located in modern Turkey Population of 5,000 to 6,000 grew crops, raised sheep and cattle Made pottery, wove baskets, traded valuable obsidian In 1958, remains of village found; wall paintings, religious shrines

EGYPT (NILE River) (The Old, Middle, and New Kingdom were periods in ancient Egyptian history. The ancient Egyptians harvested papyrus for writing 2) CHINA (YELLOW River) The Yellow River is also called the HUANG HE River. 3) INDIA (INDUS River) The Indus River is actually located in modern-day Pakistan (in SOUTH ASIA). The archaeological remains of the Indus Valley cities of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro show evidence of urban planning (the cities were designed in grid-like patterns). This is an indication that a well organized central government had been established. 4) MESOPOTAMIA (The TIGRIS and EUPHRATES Rivers) AKA Babylonian civilization. Mesopotamia was located in modern-day Iraq.

The climate and geography of these river valleys favored agriculture. The river valleys provided good farmland. (A plentiful water supply provided the means for irrigation. RICH [FERTILE] SOIL helped grow crops.) River valleys also provided a source of fresh water and transportation (e.g. the transportation of soldiers and resources). • River valleys contained rich soils because of annual (yearly) floods.

Centralized government 2. Organized religion(s) 3. Social classes 4. Specialization of labor (different jobs) 5. Art and architecture 6. Cities 7. Public Works (e.g. roads, bridges, temples) 8. System(s) of writing

Major Cities : Babylon ; Sumer ; Assryria ; Akkad Fertile Cresent / land between the river / between euphrates and tigris river. Easy to access to = invasions Unpredictable floods Advanced cities: Sumerian city-states were protected by high walls At the city center was a temple called a ziggurat Specialized Workers: At the top of society were priests, and then kings In the middle were skilled workers, like merchants At the bottom, were common farmers ; slaves Government: Babylonian King Hammurabi created the first legal code Hammurabi's Code had 282 laws based on justice & retaliation (an eye for an eye) The code had different punishments for the various levels of society Writing: Sumerians made the world's 1st writing called cuneiform Phoenicians simplified cuneiform to a 22 letter alphabet Phoenician merchants spread the alphabet throughout the Mediterranean world The alphabet influenced Greek, Latin, ; English Technology: Sumerians inventions include the wheel, sail, plow, ; bronze metalwork

Major Cities : Thebes ; Memphis "Gift of the Nile" - Predictable floods Hard to access to due to deserts The Nile flows upstream Advanced Cities: Cities developed along the Nile River in "Upper Egypt" ; "Lower Egypt" Specialized Workers Rulers, officials, priests, wealthy land others led society Government : Pharaohs ruled Egypt as "king-gods" ; were thought to control nature Egyptians constructed pyramids ; elaborate tombs for the pharaohs Religion: Egyptians were polytheistic ; believed the gods controlled all aspects of life Writing: Egyptian hieroglyphics was both pictograms ; a phonetic alphabet Hieroglyphics were translated using the Rosetta Stone Technology: Egyptian ideas included a 365-day calendar, geometry, astronomy, ; pyramids

Monsoon Major Cities : Harappa ; Mohenjo-Daro Advanced cities: Indus cities were laid out in a grid system with high walls ; citadel of major buildings specialized Workers: Indian society was divided by the "caste system" which divided people based on their purity in Hinduism Government: Little is known about Indus government other than they were ruled by kings Religion: Believed in a polytheistic religion called Hinduism Hindus believe that one's soul is reborn until moksha is achieved (reincarnation) Moksha (enlightenment or nirvana) is the spiritual release from human form A soul's karma (good or bad deeds) effect reincarnation Writing: Indus writing has not been fully translated so much of Indus life is still a mystery Writing contained about 400 symbols that were both pictograms ; phonetic characters Technology: Advanced plumbing; Most houses had toilets ; private bathrooms connected to underground sewer systems Standard, oven-baked bricks

Hittites Empire

highest tier : priest ,academics

second : warriors ,kings

third : merchant , landowners

fourth : commoners , peasants, servants

last outcast-out of caste: street sweepers latrine cleaners

A Hindu holy book which is a collection of Aryan hymns that were transmitted orally before being written down in the 6th century BCE. Collections of hymns, songs, prayers, and rituals honoring the barious gods of the Aryans.

pharaoh government official soldiers scribes merchants craftsmen peasants

priest , academics warriors, king merchants landowners commoners, peasant , servants last outcast-out of caste: street sweepers latrine cleaners

priests kings skilled workers, like merchants farmers ; slaves